The Cubs took Singleton, a junior outfielder, in the 19th round of the MLB amateur draft. McLeod raved about Singleton's talents while acknowledging that Singleton's mother, Sharonda, was one of nine people killed in a church shooting two years ago in Charleston, S.C.

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"With what's happened, obviously there's some national tragedy," McLeod said. "The story is unavoidable for him.

"(But) first and foremost, he's a talented player on the field, and we had him evaluated really as almost like a top-10 caliber talent. He's very athletic, a plus runner, plus defender, a base stealer, and played all three years at Charleston Southern and in the Collegiate Summer league last year."

Singleton batted .276 with four home runs, 21 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 51 games and worked out for the Cubs last week at Wrigley Field. Singleton was recommended by area scout Tom Clark, whose previous finds include former first-round pick and current Cubs infielder Javier Baez.